Whisky power gets green light

Published Date: 29 January 2009
By Jenny Haworth

A WHISKY distillery is to use its waste products to produce green energy.
A £65 million bioenergy plant is being built at Diageo Scotland's Cameronbridge Distillery in Fife. First Minister Alex Salmond visited the site yesterday to mark the start of building works.The new facility will generate renewable energy from spent wash – a mixture of wheat, malted barley, yeast and water produced during distillation. The spent wash is separated into liquid, which is converted into biogas, and solids, which are used as a biomass fuel source.The green energy will replace 95 per cent of the plant's fossil fuel use. The plant is being built by Diageo in partnership with energy management company Dalkia. It is expected to create up to 20 long-term jobs, and 100 construction jobs over the next three years.The reduction in annual emissions is estimated to be 56,000 tonnes, or the equivalent of taking 44,000 cars off the road.Mr Salmond said: "No other non-utility company in the UK is believed to have embarked on a renewable project of this scale."This investment signals Diageo's commitment to Scotland's environment and the Scottish economy."